Miami-Dade ranked at the top of the list, with nearly a quarter of the so-called ''no match'' voters. Broward, with 13 percent, ranked No. 3, just behind Orange County. Statewide, Hispanics and blacks outnumbered non-Hispanics by more than three to one -- and by nearly six to one in South Florida. Democrats outnumbered Republicans about four to one statewide and in South Florida.

In Florida, election officials found that 75 percent of about 20,000 voter registration applications from a three-week period in September were mismatched due to typographical and administrative errors. Florida's Republican secretary of state ordered the computer match system implemented in early September.

Civil rights groups like the ACLU and Brennan Center criticize the recently-enforced no-match rule on two grounds: First, that it places an excessive burden on voters who don't have a Florida driver's license, Social Security card or state-issued ID. They also argue that with only a week until Election Day, voters on the list have a small window to resolve problems.

At least one county is softening the rule: Broward County elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said that, instead of requiring a two-step process for "no match" voters -- fill out provisional ballots, then demand proof of identity within 48 hours -- they would allow voters to have proof of ID attached to their provisional ballot. Once they've done that, "'You do not need to do anything further,'' she said.

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